Chapter 173: The Empress Is Unhappy

Lan Wu watched helplessly as Chu Mingheng, as if possessed by madness, held the phoenix crown in his arms and fell asleep. Yet, to say he was asleep was not quite accurate—his eyes remained open, fixed on the ceiling.

The surroundings were as silent as an untrodden grave, and the joyous music from earlier now carried an eerie strangeness.

Lan Wu sat by the bedside, unsure of what to say, and simply waited quietly.

Soon, the sound of bells echoed in the dream, signaling that it was about to end once more.

Lan Wu leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Chu Mingheng’s lips.

The sky had brightened.

Lan Wu opened her eyes, gazing blankly at the light filtering through the window. She lay on the bed for a while longer before rising and, as usual, summoning attendants to help her dress and prepare for the day.

“Your Majesty, Princess Yizhen has sent word that she plans to go fishing in the mountain pond this afternoon. Would you like to join her?” Dan Shan, noticing that Lan Wu seemed in low spirits, tried to think of something enjoyable that might interest her. Recalling this, she couldn’t help but ask.

Lan Wu shook her head gently, pressing her fingers to her dry eyelids. “No. Have a carriage prepared. I’ll be going to Wuji Temple again this afternoon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lan Wu began traveling frequently between the villa and Wuji Temple, spending every afternoon there reciting sutras and praying for blessings. She often stayed until dusk before departing.

However, she did not dream of Chu Mingheng every day.

These dreams were irregular—sometimes occurring every three to five days, sometimes the very next day.

But every time she dreamed of Chu Mingheng, it left her heart heavy. She watched helplessly as he transformed from a dignified, stern emperor into someone increasingly obsessive, even bordering on madness…

At the same time, Lan Wu grew more and more silent. Occasionally, she would stare blankly at books, not even noticing when palace maids softly called her name.

Her closest attendants grew increasingly worried.

When the Empress was in the palace, she was perfectly fine. Although she missed His Majesty on the journey here, she never showed signs of such deep concern. But now…

“It’s only been a month, and Her Majesty hasn’t been happy at all. What will we do for the remaining two months?” Lian Qiao muttered anxiously, glancing at Mujin beside her. “Just now, when I went to replace some of Her Majesty’s storybooks, I realized she hasn’t been reading them much these past few days. This afternoon, she’s going to Wuji Temple again to copy sutras. Her hands are already developing calluses!”

Mujin’s expression remained tense, but she had no solution.

“I’ve noticed Her Majesty has lost a lot of weight. This can’t go on,” Lian Qiao sighed dejectedly, then pondered aloud. “The kitchen has fresh beef today. Last time, I saw Her Majesty take a few extra bites. Should we ask them to prepare the same dish again?”

But these were only temporary fixes.

Mujin glanced toward the inner chamber and whispered, “The letter should have reached His Majesty by now. Perhaps when His Majesty’s reply arrives, Her Majesty will feel better.”

The letter she referred to was not only the one Lan Wu had sent to the palace but also the one she had written detailing the Empress’s unusual behavior.

Before leaving the palace, Lan Wu had specifically instructed Luo Yun to look after His Majesty’s health. But how could His Majesty rest easy with the Empress alone in the mountains?

His Majesty had said that if nothing was amiss, there was no need to write to him. But if anything seemed even slightly off, it must be reported to him immediately.

And this was precisely such a situation.

But Mujin only thought that Her Ladyship was missing Your Majesty too much, and her low spirits were due to excessive worry. She truthfully reported everything in the letter, hoping that Your Majesty’s reply would arrive as soon as possible.

Inside the palace, Chu Mingheng had just received the letter.

His headaches had been worsening these past few days. Whether it was an illusion or not, the timing of the awakening of the other “himself” was becoming increasingly chaotic.

The day before yesterday and yesterday, it was the him from the previous life, but today it had shifted back to the him from this life. The boundary between the two seemed to be slowly fading.

Would they eventually merge into the same person?

The letter was opened, and Chu Mingheng read it word by word, his expression gradually darkening.

What did it mean that Lan Wu was in low spirits, often shedding tears? What did it mean that she had lost her appetite and grown thinner?

Lan Wu couldn’t even take care of herself properly, yet she only knew to pick pleasant words to write to him in the letter, keeping all this from him.

What was Lan Wu crying about?

Was she missing him?

With a cold expression, Chu Mingheng left the main hall, and Chen Kangan immediately followed.

“Your Majesty, where are you going?” Chen Kangan asked anxiously in a hushed tone, only to widen his eyes in shock at Chu Mingheng’s next words.

“Prepare a carriage. We’re going to Changyong Mountain,” Chu Mingheng ordered expressionlessly.

Where?

Ch-Changyong Mountain?

Wasn’t it still two months before they were to bring Guifei back? Why was Your Majesty going now?

Chen Kangan thought he must have misheard, but he didn’t dare ask. Instead, he hurriedly tried to dissuade him: “Your Majesty, Changyong Mountain is a long journey. If we go like this… something might happen. Why not have someone prepare first? It wouldn’t be too late to go once everything is ready…”

Why was Your Majesty suddenly going to Changyong Mountain?

Had something happened to Guifei on the mountain?

Chen Kangan didn’t dare think further, quickly following along. Just as Your Majesty was about to board the Imperial Carriage, Chen Kangan saw him slow his steps.

Chu Mingheng, his eyes dark, steadied himself against the carriage, gritting his teeth as he changed his mind: “Leave the palace. Go to Nanli Temple.”

Compared to going to Changyong Mountain, heading to Nanli Temple was clearly a better choice.

Hearing this, Chen Kangan also felt relieved and quickly ordered people to prepare the carriage and imperial guards.

To this day, Chu Mingheng still hadn’t recalled everything from his previous life, but fragmented memories deepened daily. He roughly guessed how he had sought Lan Wu in his past life.

Thinking of those methods, Chu Mingheng’s expression grew even colder.

Although Lan Wu understood little, she was exceptionally attentive to his affairs. The letter mentioned that she went to Wuji Temple every day to pray and copy scriptures, seemingly doing nothing else. But with only Lan Wu in the temple, if something truly happened to her, he wouldn’t care about whether it was a sacred place or not.

By the time they arrived at Nanli Temple, Huifan was already waiting.

Chu Mingheng had no patience for idle talk and directly confronted him: “What exactly is your purpose in sending my Guifei to Changyong Mountain? If she suffers even the slightest harm, I will take your life.”

Huifan showed no fear at his threat and paid little heed to his words, simply replying: “Your Majesty has come today for Her Ladyship? If it is for her, then rest assured, she will be fine.”

“Rather, it is Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty not feel that you are remembering something?”